Why you need to try Barry’s Bootcamp immediately.
The first time walking into Barry’s Bootcamp can seem a little intimidating. Surrounded by athletes of every shape and size: including marathon runners, heavy weight lifters, CrossFitters, and so on, it immediately becomes clear that this workout is not for the faint of heart. The gym is lined with treadmills – what the Barry’s team calls “treads” – while weights, resistance bands, and steps cover the floor.
When the workout begins, the lights are dimly lit, sometimes even completely turned off. The music blares, and when it seems that you cannot push yourself any further, the instructors will turn it up even higher, while a red backlight comes on. At these moments, the gym truly looks and feels like hell. But have no fear! While the instructors scream encouraging things and the speed on the treads are bumped up, all of the sudden you realize you accomplished something you never thought you could, never would have done alone, and are absolutely dripping in sweat. This is the essence of Barry’s.
The Workout
The workout itself is a combination of weights and treadmill workout intervals. The workout varies by specific days and instructors:
- Monday (Arms & Abs)
- Tuesday (Butt & Legs)
- Wednesday (Chest, Back, & Abs)
- Thursday (Hard CORE Abs)
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Full Body)
One thing is sure: you will be jogging, running, sprinting hard, climbing hills, and lifting heavy.
Added perks
Barry’s strongly encourages heavy weights, from ladies especially. Try as you might, you cannot find anything lighter than an eight pound dumbbell in the entire gym. This combination of intense, sporadic intervals on the treads with heavy lifting leaves you feeling sore, tired, sweaty, but accomplished. Further, the instructors will work with you and modify exercises based on your specific needs, and invite all different levels of athletes to try the workout. For us at Fit University, this part is key… making sure a workout can be made suitable, challenging and most of all, enjoyable for every fitness level, from the all-star athlete to the gym newbie.After such an intense workout, you’re going to need to refuel ASAP.
Lucky for you, Barry’s Bootcamp has a juice bar, where you can pre-order a wide variety of flavors of juices to pick up right after class, or you can simply make your own creation. The gym is also pristinely clean. The locker room contains multiple showers with towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. Showering is a good idea – since you’ve just endured “the best workout in the world.”
Where can ya try it?
For all of our Boston friends – Barry’s Bootcamp is located on 30 Chauncy Street, easily accessible by the T. They also have locations in New York, Miami, Nashville, California, Norway and in the UK. Students can try a class any day of the week for free, you just need to call ahead. Drop-in classes start at $28 and discounted packages are available for students. While it may come at a bit of a steep price, Barry’s Bootcamp is truly worth it.
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